put (one) under the pump Idiom, Proverb

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pumped/pumped up

excited about performing, ready to play John's pumped for today's game. He really wants to play.

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pump

1. pump of a pump-action shotgun;"Sawed off shotgun, hand on the pump" -- Cypress Hill (Hand on the pump [1993])
2. to play music loud

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prime the pump

prime the pump
Encourage the growth or action of something, as in Marjorie tried to prime the pump by offering some new issues for discussion. In the late 1800s this expression originally was used for pouring liquid into a pump to expel the air and make it work. In the 1930s it was applied to government efforts to stimulate the economy and thereafter was applied to other undertakings.

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pump iron

pump iron
Lift weights, as in She's started pumping iron three times a week. This idiom was born with the late-20th-century stress on physical fitness. [Second half of 1900s]

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pump up

pump up
1) Inflate with gas or air, as in This tire needs pumping up. [Late 1800s]
2) Fill with enthusiasm, strength, and energy, as in The lively debate pumped us all up. Mary Wollstonecraft used this idiom in slightly different form in The Rights of Women (1792): “Lover-like phrases of pumped-up passion.”

put (one) beneath the pump

To put one beneath burden to perform, succeed, or accomplish results. Primarily heard in UK. The fast-food behemothic has been put beneath the pump in the aftermost few years by bottomward sales and sliding bazaar value. The candid association has absolutely put the ageing batsman beneath the pump to bear after-effects this season, or abroad accede retirement.Learn more: pump, put

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